Topic > Teaching techniques: developmental characteristics and...

Children aged 10 to 13 are much more independent than their younger peers. They already possess this particular ability for abstract thinking, which distinguishes them from other groups of students and is also a further strength. Harmer (2001) states that age is a crucial aspect of how and what to teach upper primary students. It also states that students of different ages have different needs, skills and cognitive abilities. According to Harmer, it is widely believed that children learn a second language faster than adults. This ability is called young brain plasticity and allows them to acquire a new language without much effort. Motivation is a very important factor that distinguishes this group of students. They are more aware of the need to learn a foreign language as something that will benefit them in the future. Furthermore, Pinter (2006) argues that children need to express their opinion about English lessons and their own progress because this is a key part of building self-confidence and awareness. Furthermore, Scrivener (2009) states: “Studying for the job itself, setting a personal challenge, or simply for a reward make the strength of student motivation a large factor in determining how seriously upper primary students approach the job.” Motivation must be maintained at the same level during L2 acquisition. If it is decreasing, it is the teachers' responsibility to stimulate students. Acquiring new knowledge can be problematic or even useless if students' attention span is not kept at a constant level. Other important factors that differentiate upper primary school students are: gender, aptitude/intelligence/memory, family background, language level, learning ...... middle of the paper ......lanations, while the teacher acts as a prompter. We can say that both the teacher and the student are participants in the presentation. Furthermore, the teacher plays the role of a resource, providing ready-to-use answers. They must also remain vigilant at all times. Teachers draw conclusions about their students. They are also interpreters who play the role of actors, where students are vivid spectators of their way of presenting the L2. In addition to the use of mime and gestures, teachers are treated as teaching aids. They work by using their body as a tool to present new grammatical material. Additionally, teachers serve as language models so that the language students are exposed to does not exclusively come from learning materials such as textbooks but also from the teacher. Additionally, teachers provide understandable feedback and input by playing the role of providers.